1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flushing devices. In more particular, the present invention relates to a flushing device having one-handed operability.
2. The Relevant Technology
Flushing devices are used in the medical product industry to inject liquid or other medicines and materials into the lumen of a catheter. Injecting materials into the lumen of a catheter can perform a variety of helpful and necessary functions in the use of the catheter. For example, flushing the catheter may clear the catheter lumen of obstructions, fluids, and/or other materials that may have been introduced when inserting the catheter into a vessel of the patient. Such articles, fluids, and/or materials can occlude the passage way of the catheter lumen preventing or interfering with proper function of the catheter. Additionally, flushing the lumen can provide lubrication facilitating introduction of a guidewire or stent into the catheter lumen.
A variety of types and configurations of devices have been utilized by practitioners for flushing the lumen of a catheter. Many devices utilized for flushing the lumen of a catheter are little more than syringes, or other unspecialized apparatuses that have been slightly modified for the use of flushing a catheter. For example, one exemplary device comprises a syringe with a shortened needle tip. The needle tip is inserted into the lumen of the catheter and the catheter is flushed by depressing the plunger of the syringe to force fluids through the lumen of the catheter. Utilizing such a device for flushing a catheter can be a crude solution for flushing a catheter. This is because the tip of the needle must be carefully introduced into the lumen of the catheter. This can require dexterity and attentiveness that may detract from other aspects of a procedure to be performed. Additionally, the contact between the syringe and the catheter can result in an incomplete seal resulting in spraying or loss of the flushing medium when the plunger is depressed. This can decrease the ability of the medium to adequately clear the catheter lumen from obstructions, fluids, and/or other materials in the intended manner.
Another exemplary device utilizes a syringe in connection with a flushing tip. The flushing tip includes threads or a luer coupling allowing the flushing tip to be attached at the end of the syringe. One problem associated with such tips, is that the configuration of the aperture in which the catheter is inserted can make guiding the catheter into the aperture problematic. Additionally, the catheter tips are typically opaque making it difficult to monitor progress of the catheter into the tip. Such syringes are typically unnecessarily large due to the size of the luer coupler needed to receive the flushing tip. The size of the catheter can affect the ability of the user to manipulate the plunger barrel utilizing a single hand. Additionally, the amount of flushing medium held in the barrel can be excessive for what is needed or desired for the flushing procedure to be performed. The excessive amount of flushing medium can make it difficult to manipulate the catheter while simultaneously controlling the amount of flushing medium being injected into utilizing the flushing device, particularly where flushing of the catheter is only part of a more complex procedure to be performed.